The manufacture of semiconductor devices entails the integration and sequencing of many unit processing steps. As an example, integrated circuits are fabricated on semiconductor wafers, and typically include a series of processing steps such as cleaning, surface preparation, deposition, lithography, patterning, etching, planarization, implantation, and thermal annealing. The precise sequencing and integration of the unit processing steps enables the formation of functional devices meeting desired performance metrics such as speed, power consumption, and reliability.
Each processing step is typically performed in a process chamber which can be coupled to a wafer transfer station comprising a transfer robot for transferring the wafers in and out of the process chamber. In a cluster tool, a transfer station can service multiple process chambers. The process chambers are interchangeable, meaning different process chambers can be coupled to a same transfer station. Thus, after a process chamber is mechanically coupled to the transfer station, the configuration of the transfer station is manually updated to include the capability of the process chamber, such as the number of process gases and their maximum flow rates.
For example, configuration data of a process chamber are programmed to the transfer robot so that the robot can access the process chamber. The configuration data can include the location of the process chamber door, so that the robot can enter the process chamber for picking or placing a wafer. The configuration data can include the location of the process chamber substrate support, so that the robot can pick or place a wafer with adequate precision.
Usage permission data can also be programmed to the transfer robot. For example, when a process chamber is removed from the transfer station, it is no longer available for processing, and permission is denied when a user attempts to use such a process chamber.
In a typical programming session, a technician calibrates the transfer robot for wafer handling by visual inspection. Configuration data for each process chamber is programmed to the transfer robot before the system is ready for processing. When a new process chamber is installed, the calibration process is repeated, with new configuration data entered. The practice is time consuming, and prone to errors and precision loss.
What is needed is an automatic configuration for processing system having multiple interchangeable components.